


BLD - Book 1

by Kiyoku



Series: BLD [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Magic and Science, Original Character(s), Original Fiction, Original Mythology, Original Universe, Science Fiction, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-29 16:18:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15076988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiyoku/pseuds/Kiyoku
Summary: BLD (Boundless Limbo Deviation) is an ongoing original Sci-Fi/Fantasy story composed of 3 'books'. The Utopian future of a world divided into two separate, co-existing civilisations, starts its journey into disarray as a rampant plague spreads its influence across not only the planet itself, but the fantastical dimension lying parallel to it.Key ingredients include a vibrant leading cast, over-the-top clashes of fantastic might, and a dash of comedy or romance here and there!





	BLD - Book 1

**Author's Note:**

> Greetings, and Welcome; to a long-term project that I have been building in my head for many years. I'm finding great joy in finally putting this story down somewhere for others to read it, regardless of how many people do.
> 
> I'll keep this brief; BLD is a Fantasy/Science Fiction cross. Whilst drawing inspirations from vibrant cartoons, anime and video games, I aspire to break down conventions and create something fresh and unique.
> 
> I may update these notes as time goes on if I deem more to be necessary, but for now, let me thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy! Comments and advice are encouraged!

A distant-stretching sea of clouds smothered the horizon, tinted gold by the twilight of the sun hanging half-way above the blanket of fog. Jutting up amidst this sea of soft gold, were tall, narrow hilltops covered with grass, also donning the autumn colours of the sky swallowing up the ground below. This fantastical rolling landscape of warm gold was a land unseen by all but few human beings; but it was mentioned countless times in books, mythology and fairy tales... And yet, its visage was rarely portrayed correctly.

Atop several of the tall, grassy hills were small settlements. Sometimes a single house, dim lights flickering in the windows, sometimes a village with a small path winding down the hillside. Atop one tuft of earth and grass, however, was a large, jet-black rock, surrounded by smaller, chipped-off fragments at its base, its glistening edges reflecting the shining twilight of its surroundings. It wouldn’t take long for any onlooker to realise that this mountainous rock was covered in holes, windows, doors; homes. This unique, gargantuan jewel was a settlement known as the  _Titan’s Keepsake_ , home to a mixed clan of demons; but it was about to become naught but a memorial for its people...

“If the King truly has the plague’s cure, I know better than anybody that he won’t share it with the rest of us. He’s not the man he used to be; you forget I was his minister.” A tall, mature man, with long hair and clothing as bold and teal as a peacock, spoke with a tone of frustration and concern. With him sat a small group of people, as well as two cats, near the Keepsake’s peak, beside a large, dilapidated castle carved from the very same rock. The rest of the village was silent, as if completely abandoned, though candlelight flickered away in each hollowed out window.

“I’d just... Rather avoid conflict where we can? The few of us who are lucky enough to still be standing,  _might_  have a way to save our families and friends. I don’t want to risk that by getting killed!” A teenage boy responded, long, straight silver hair flowing all the way down his back, donning a black robe, expected by that of a mage scholar. He hunched over anxiously, clenching his jaw at any point he wasn’t speaking, his hands gripping into the knees of his worn, dull grey slacks. The only hint of colour on this boy was his bright green eyes and lightly browned skin, though this came naturally when living above the clouds on the Keepsake.

The taller man approached the boy, lifting a hand and firmly pressing it into the youth’s shoulder, reassuringly. “Kiyoshi, your pacifism is, and always will be, a strength in my eyes. Don’t let  _anybody_  tell you differently; but this is one of those times that we must fight. I’m not asking you to, but those of us who are willing,  _will_.” He paused, taking a long, deep breath, and a moment to think before continuing. “We are but six of our entire clan who have not fallen sick; My mind cannot simply rest on the thought that this was all down to chance. I believe we all serve a greater purpose; We’re supposed to be the ones to save our people from this insufferable plague. Yang, please, stay by Kiyoshi’s side, I still want you all with me when we enter the castle, but nor do I want to put the boy in harm’s way. I fully trust your skills to keep him safe, you’re the most experienced combatant of us all.” The teal-haired man turned his attention downwards, towards a small black cat with scarlet-red eyes, a tail longer than his whole body, and ears curled at a horn-like angle.

“You needn’t ask, Damian. He may be a nervous wreck, but he’s my student.” Astonishingly, the cat enunciated in a sophisticated manner, the voice of a composed, mature fellow emerged from his arguably adorable mouth. “The same goes for all of my students; Jiin, you stay with Kiyoshi and I. You can still offer support from a distance. Understood?”

The second cat, a white longhair with bright blue eyes, slunk closer and sat on the opposite side of Kiyoshi, blinking slowly up at the young man. “Of course, Yang.” Spoke a gentle, feminine voice from the white cat.

Four of the group of six had gathered close to Kiyoshi, Damian nodded assertively and glanced over at the remaining two. “And that leaves the Felum twins. Kobu, Kubo; you two know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?” Two humanoid figures stepped closer, ruffling the anxious young man’s hair in sync with one another. Their hands were tipped with dangerously sharp claws in place of nails, their fingers subtly webbed. A twin sister, Kobu, and brother, Kubo, both with long hair resembling the stripes of a silver tabby cat, feline-like ears where one would normally expect human ones, and large, striped, bushy tails flicking behind them.

“I charge in from the front; screaming like a berserk maniac.” Said the sister whimsically.

“While I go in behind and, well, kill him.” Stated the brother, bluntly.

Damian waved a hand dismissively, taking a deep breath. “That’s... Not wrong. Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, but you already vividly understand the situation. I will, first and foremost, attempt to reason with King Esquiños, but... Well, again; I won’t expect it to work. I hate to say that we have to expect the bloodiest outcome, but the King’s perpetual fear of all those around him has driven him to weakness, and we know he is also sick.” Damian took another deep breath, and took a few steps towards the silent, collapsing castle, his hand resting on the hilt of his rapier, every step he made left sparks of blue flame on the ground. “Now then, all of you, with me. The longer we dally, the sooner death will take those we’re trying to save.”

First, the twins followed, devoid of fear, determination chiselled into their eyes; cat-like pupils narrow with focus. Kobu swivelled around on her heel and pointed directly at Kiyoshi with a bright, toothy grin. “You’ll be  _fine,_  Kiki! I promise! You will!” She tried to set assurance in the boy’s panicked heart, as the remaining three, Yang, Kiyoshi and Jiin, followed on, both cats leading just in front of the teenager, the group maintaining their structure as Damian led the group into the pitch-black ruins of the King’s castle.

 _Six walked in_...

Finding a guiding light inside the castle wasn’t a problem, as Damian lit up with fluorescent blue light, his teal hair and clothing glowing vibrantly in tandem with his magic. Any grandeur this castle may have once had was gone. The interior and exterior were both piles of rubble, the jet-black stones of the Keepsake rock reflecting the blue light individually, like a hall of mirrors, but navigating onward was clear; There really was only one path left amidst the collapsed pillars, doorways and stairwells. Their footsteps echoed almost eternally, no doubt announcing their arrival to the castle’s sole  _living_  inhabitant.

Kiyoshi gulped down the anxious lump that was budding up in his throat, as the group walked past more than just a few corpses of castle staff. Guards, butlers, maids; Some had passed away from the plague, energy and colour drained from their expressions, as if they died from sheer exhaustion. Some, however, had morbid slash wounds on their bodies, having bled out on the cold black rock. What was once a castle full of workers alongside their monarch, was now the den of a tyrant surrounded by corpses. Yang kept his red eyes firmly on Kiyoshi as his paw-pads silently prowled along the cold, dark corridors, acknowledging the boy’s clear unease, but he couldn’t say anything to alleviate those feelings, none of them did. A painful silence of impending struggle clung to each of them.

The group soon approached what appeared to be the last functional door in the castle; a large, sturdy double door, just as sheer  _dark_  as everything else. The entire castle was monotonously black, yet at the same time, in the Keepsake rock’s reflective nature, it managed to bear a different vibrancy to the eye of the beholder, a simple change of lighting could alter the vibe of the entire castle. Damian soon broke the oppressive silence.

“We’re here.” He started off quietly, before raising his voice. “ _Your majesty? We’re coming in!”_  With no further delay, the twins stepped forwards and firmly pushed a door each, their great strength quickly showing with how aggressively those large stone doors swung open with a mighty, echoing crash that shook the whole castle, several crumbling walls losing that much more of their structure.

From within the eerily dark chamber, a voice responded to them with little delay. “Damian, my minister... And his merry band of the immune. It’s adorable, watching you all scramble for life, even if you aren’t sick, you’re determined to save others from it... Oh yes, So terrified of death, how mortal... Fear is such an incredible thing, isn’t it?” Silence followed, perhaps the King expected a response, but instead, the group silently stepped forwards, apart from Yang and his students, who remained by the open doorway.

Damian lifted a hand, clicked his fingers, and tossed a flame forward, illuminating the room more brightly. The colour of the flame shifted from blue, to a warm, neutral light, giving every one of them a clear view of the ancient king lying on the ground; though, at a glance, he didn’t look older than thirty. This man was even more devoid of colour than Kiyoshi; his hair, skin and eyes were pale white, only his pupils, black tattered trousers, and a black cloak that lazily draped over his otherwise bare, thin upper body, contrasted such a cold, snowy demeanour.

“Shall I take your silence as intrigue in my little, life lecture? Or complete disinterest?” He let out a hacking cough, blood splattering to the ground where he slumped on his knees, a small dash of red on an otherwise colourless image. He lifted his shaking, frail hands, chewing harshly on his bottom lip, speaking through his partially sealed mouth. “Even me... Your monarch, lies here, terrified of death... But, amidst all of this struggle for life, I realised; The fear is keeping me alive! Myself more than anyone... Fear keeps all of us alive; it’s but an emotional display of our basest instinct to survive. But for me... Just being afraid of death, it’s like I’ve finally found equilibrium in myself...”

Damian walked closer as the seemingly broken King rambled on, as Kubo slunk off into the shadows. The plan was starting to be put into action, and Kiyoshi felt his heart sink. Esquiños’ behaviour was haunting. It didn’t seem hostile, but all the while, the boy couldn’t shake this feeling of dread. The way that Yang and Jiin’s fur along their spines stood on end reflected this closely too.

“You always told me you felt empty, old friend. Did you finally find it, then? Is it truly  _fear_  that makes you feel complete?” Damian finally talked back, standing mere feet away from the collapsed King. Despite his calm demeanour, he seemed to be bottling up his words.

“It’s not so simple that it completes me, Damian... I’ve spent thousands of years, sitting within this rock, piecing together what little I understood about my younger life... Having such great power, I didn’t  _need_  to fear anything, until mere sickness brings me to death’s door... And yet, here I am, clutching my researchers’ work in my hand, deliberating on if I should drink this  _cure_  at all... What if curing my illness takes my fear away? That uncertainty... Through some paradox of emotions, it frightens me even  _more!_  I could reach greater heights by drinking this concoction... But this cure is what you came here for, isn’t it?” The frail man rotated one of his shaking hands, revealing a vial filled with a murky, black fluid. “This is the fruit of my researchers’ labour... The work they conducted under such terrifying conditions, their very lives on the line--”

The second Esquiños mentioned the workers’ lives, however, Damian snapped, immediately raising his voice, the bright light emanating from his body and clothing suddenly caught flame once again. “And  _where_  are those lives now?! Lying  _dead in your halls!_  What if this cure fails? You’ve murdered your only qualified scholars! The only ones capable of saving us! You’ve condemned our people to death! The best you can do for them now, is to share what they have left with us... Hand me the vial, Esquiños!” As Damian’s voice raised, Kiyoshi’s heart began beating like a hammer on steel, fists clenched, nails digging painfully into his own palms. Anxiety was bubbling over within him, his whole body was aching with it. One hand lifted up to his chest and clung to his robe, as if desperately trying to hold his heart still.

Esquiños soon broke into a loud, haunting laugh that reverberated around the entire castle, sending chills up the spines of all who heard it. “ _Hahahah!_  Damian, don’t you see? That’s just...  _So_  much more exciting! What  _if_  the cure doesn’t work? What if I swallow the contents of this vial and something truly terrible happens to me? Not only will all of you feel the dread and terror of your efforts yielding no reward, but I could be brought closer still to the brink of death! And then you’ll see... You’ll see what I mean when I say the fear keeps me alive! You don’t understand it now, but you  _will!”_

The group were stunned silent. The truly haunting thing about the King’s behaviour was that his delivery sounded resolute and clear; not the ramblings of a madman, but the clarified wisdom of somebody with a greater understanding. But as that fleeting moment of silence passed, Esquiños’ hand gestured to lift the vial and pop the cork from its lip. Kobu, the twin sister, immediately began to scream with rage, charging forwards towards the King, masking the sound of her brother’s footsteps.

A clawed hand emerged from the darkness behind the king, and within mere seconds, the Felum twins’ dexterity boasted bloody results, with the King’s blood gushing from his neck, Kubo’s razor-sharp precision having shredded through the king’s throat. As if the job hadn’t been completed, Kobu continued her assault from the front, digging her claws directly into the king’s chest as if she were reaching directly for his heart. Clearly these twins didn’t care about getting their hands quite literally dirty. “Our Mom’s dead... Tons of families are  _dead_ , because  _you_  were too busy revelling in your little fright fantasy!” Kobu gritted her teeth, before scowling and hissing like a furious cat.

Yang and his students observed, the experienced mentor standing on guard, his tail curled over above his body, fur standing on end, as Kiyoshi could only stare in hopelessness, as blood began to soak the King’s robes a deep, dark red. Kubo had dug his claws so deep into Esquiños’ throat that the man’s trachea had surely been punctured, and yet... The king’s hand began moving upwards still, tightening his grip around the vial until the vulgar sound of glass breaking and digging into flesh, rang in the ears of all six of the group. A foreboding sound of failure, that sank the hearts of each and every one of them, but they only had a fleeting moment to think before an impossible voice reverberated again.

“I told you, the fear keeps me alive.  _It composes me!”_ In spite of his shredded vocals and punctured organs, Esquiños could speak.

Damian drew his rapier and closed distance between himself and the King. “Twins! Back,  _now!_ ” He cried out in desperation, blue flames circling along the length of his sword. “What manner of creature are you, Esquiños?  _What have you done?_ ”

The twins winced begrudgingly as Damian gave the order, both siblings pulling their hands away with a swing of their arms and a splash of blood flecking from their claws. As the Felum jumped back with haste, Damian gave a mighty roar, drowning out the King’s ongoing laughter, as his blade burst into flame, before burrowing through the chest wound already left by Kobu.

Kiyoshi winced, his whole body tensing and twitching, his fingers shaking, fidgeting together, small sparks of fire dancing between his palms, as his green irises danced around with uncertainty. Could he watch? Could he avert his gaze? Watching two of his friends fearlessly attempt to kill someone, no matter how cruel he was, set a deep ache in the pit of Kiyoshi’s stomach. Why was he being made to watch this? Why did he have to be here? As he watched Damian risk his life to protect the rest of the group, a part of Kiyoshi’s mind was cursing at the man for bringing him into this insufferable situation. What greater purpose did he serve just feeling his insides turning with anxiety?

Esquiños’ glass-cut hand clenched, slowly lifting as he felt the fires of Damian’s rapier sear through his heart, and yet, the King continued to move, his eyes widened as a distorted, broken grin spread across his face, baring his blood-soaked teeth. Fluid from the vial began to mix into the open wounds of his hand, quivering, he slowly opened his palm. “Why do you all despair so deeply? I have not wasted the plague’s cure...” In response to the fluid in the vial, his wounds almost appeared to be  _festering_  as the sclera of his eyes gradually turned red. “This was no  _cure_ , it was a resounding failure! And I have been your guinea pig. But there is no need to thank me... I wanted this...”

Damian stood, locked in place, driving more fire upwards along his sword with a bestial shout of rage, pushing the blade deeper to the hilt. “Killing you will be a justice for this village; the people you’ve allowed to die!”

Esquiños gave one more blood-drowned laugh, red spilling excessively from his mouth. His heart pierced and burnt, lungs full of blood, yet reason could not explain why this man continued to live, let alone speak. “Did you... Listen to a word I said?  _Fear, and I, are one._ ” And those were the last words he spoke, before the vial’s contents took full hold of his body. His wounds became animated like a swarm of insects, tendrils of flesh adorned with clots of blood began to seep from his wounds like fluid, his eyes grotesquely sank back into his skull, head drooping backwards and further opening the gaping wound in his throat. Convulsing appendages crawled from any exit in his body they could find, and still a gurgled, struggled voice groaned out amidst it all.

Damian released his blade and leapt back, barely able to breathe as he watched the King’s body become a mangled mess of flesh, blood and bone. “Back, back! Yang, twins,  _out!_ ” He left his rapier embedded in the King’s heart, he had no desire to agitate the rapidly distorting monstrosity. But as he took another two cautious steps back, a particularly large appendage of flesh collapsed onto the ground and separated from what was the King’s main body, before bursting open and emitting a noxious cloud of red gas. Damian winced; and inhaled in his shock and panic, immediately clapping a hand over his mouth and nose. “No...” He muttered under his breath, before turning and breaking into a run. “Run,  _run! Now!_ ”

The group looked on in horror, as the vulgar mass of flesh began to swell beyond sense. One by one, they picked up their wits and began to run, first the twins, who were the closest to the mass after Damian, and then Yang rallied his students. “Kiyoshi, Jiin,  _Go!”_  commanded the black cat. Jiin had to claw at Kiyoshi’s leg to wake him from a stupor of fear, the teenager’s frozen legs starting to move from the jolt of pain she gave him. The boy could only respond in panicked cries, his eyes watering with tears from the storm of questions and emotions weighing down on his mind. Yang ensured that Kiyoshi and Jiin were the first to start running and followed behind them, Damian trying his best to ensure the twins were ahead of him.

As the heap of organic horror spread, the king’s original body no longer discernible to the eye, the entire mass gave a convulsion, and with a repulsive ‘ _Shclock’_ , dozens of clots burst with red gas, as the flesh expelled countless needle-sharp projectile arrows of bone. One of the fragments dug into Damian’s upper back, the man screaming out in agony as he frantically pulled the bone from his flesh, groaning and wincing upon using his own flames to sear his wound shut, hoping he could burn away any infection before it could spread. “ _Is everyone okay?_ ” He shouted to the rest of the group, confirming that Yang and his students had retreated the main hall...

However no sound came from the twins. Damian turned to Kobu, only to see an empty expression of dread in her wide, yellow eyes, her pupils slowly dilating. She was staring at her brother, who stood in place for a second longer, before collapsing to his knees, and then to the ground; An arrow of bone lodged directly through his temple and skull. Within seconds, Kubo was gone.

“ _No! NOOO!”_ Damian gave a pained roar of dismay. The shout spurred even Yang to turn around and freeze, the fur along his arched back standing on end. They had run a fair distance from the main hall, but he could still see Damian standing mid-way towards the door. The two students also stopped, Kiyoshi’s heart sank to a deeper depth of loss, knowing well that something horrible had just befallen the twins.

The next gut-wrenching sound to dig into their ears was the bestial, high-pitched wail of Kobu, screaming mindlessly as she stared at the lifeless body of her twin brother, her claws ripping out tufts of her own hair as she dropped into a howling rage. Turning on the mass of nonsensical tendrils, she charged back, and relentlessly dug her hands and claws into the mass with no care for the consequences. Shards of bone continued to burst from the body, cutting her hands, piercing her shoulders and abdomen, but her screaming and flailing continued, a torrent of blood painting her hair, skin and clothing red.

Damian could only watch and shout for Kobu to stop and run, but she was long gone. The main body began to convulse more in response to Kobu’s relentless tearing. If nothing else; she was inflicting pain on the beast, but as she lost more and more blood, the red gas set into her system; her body immediately stopped moving, and fell limp, her torrent of rage and howls ceased in an instant.

Damian was paralysed with lament. Standing still, face to face with the ever-growing monstrosity, feeling almost like it was staring back at him maliciously. Spirals of fire began to whirl around his feet, slowly crawling up his legs, also emitting from his hands and engulfing his arms. After his moment of silence, he spoke. “ _Yang!_ ” He called out. The black cat darted a few leaps towards the hall, returning Damian’s name knowingly; “Damian.”

“You three are getting out of here alive. This whole idea... It was the twins. They were so distraught about the loss of their Mother and kept on telling me we should raid the castle... A reckless, passionate, brutal plan between such a close family... And I let them take it further. I took the lead to bring you all together, and now they’ve lost _everything_. If I can give them anything in return, it’s a proper cremation; without this repulsive eldritch burying them!” He vented through clenched teeth, his brow straining with anger, before a burst of flames surrounded him, sending a gust of wind throughout the hall, and down the corridor, reaching even Kiyoshi and Jiin, who looked on, shaken and barely willing to go on.

Amidst the mighty fire beginning to envelop Damian’s body, he raised his voice. “My flames should burn away this abomination, and its gasses. But I want you three to leave as quickly as possible, and get below. Go to Kiyoshi’s family. I cannot ensure that the gas will be completely erased...”

Yang listened intently, before closing his eyes and speaking. “I wish I could have known you better, Damian--” Yang’s words were interrupted by another eruption of bone shards, several of them piercing Damian’s chest, but he stood, steadfast and determined, his flames starting to roar loudly, his lower body barely visible amidst the flow of burning blue. Yang paused in admiration of the resolute flames, before speaking again. “Thank you. The twins would be grateful, I’m sure. As much fire as they showed within them today... Neither of them truly wanted to go on without their mother. Goodbye, Damian. Again; Thank you.”

Only the sound of the flames followed, before Damian’s head and torso slowly turned to gaze back at the black cat, tears started pouring from his eyes, a melancholy smile creeping onto his lips. “Thank you, Yang. Keep them safe. I’ve lived a long life... I wanted those kids to live longer. Ensure your students do.” Taking a sharp inhale through his nose, Damian turned confidently back towards the King’s  _remains_ , as his body burst into a wild inferno of blue and teal, lighting up the reflective jet-black stones so vibrantly that it was blinding.

“No!  _No no no!_ ” A young voice cried out, Kiyoshi began sprinting back towards the hall, but Yang turned to face the boy, those blood-red eyes of his staring daggers at him. It was a glare with such powerful composure that Kiyoshi felt any impulsion sap from his body, his lip quivering, voice whimpering, tears dropping excessively to the ground at his feet.

“Kiyoshi, don’t you dare.” Yang’s tail gave a firm flick, and a jolt of lightning loudly cracked into being, electrifying the elements within the stone, and slamming the giant doors shut. “Now keep running.” The cat asserted. His students did just as they were told. They ran, with their mentor just behind.

Damian gave a deep, powerful roar as the force of his flames shook the falling castle, the walls and ceilings around them beginning to crack and crumble, before his voice was overwhelmed by the roar of his own flames, the heat could be felt from outside, as the hall was purged by a sea of blue. The mass that was once the king, began to burn away, ashes swept around the hall by heavy gusts of wind, alongside the bodies of Kubo, Kobu, and Damian...

 

Soon, everything fell silent, all but the footsteps of the retreating trio, and the sobs of a young man. Jiin and Yang had already witnessed plenty of sacrifice and death, but Kiyoshi was still young, and his heart felt like it was wrenching itself out of his chest. The three of them had almost reached the main castle doors, Jiin turning her head up to Kiyoshi as they continued their escape.

“Kiyoshi, it’s okay to be scared. A boy of your age shouldn’t have to go through what you have... Nor should have the twins. I know I could just keep speaking meaningless words to try and help you, but we’re here. Yang and I are here.” Jiin’s gentle, soothing voice was interrupted by a vibration in the air, followed by a loud rumbling...

“What’s that...?” Kiyoshi muttered with fright as Yang turned his head, his claws protracted, scratching against the hard stone at his paws. The rattling was ceased by a loud  _crash!_  The doors of the grand hall had been burst open, and the cause was soon made apparent, as the light from outside shone down the hallway to illuminate a rapid flow of red gas bellowing towards them. Damian’s flames had burnt the source, but simply agitated the noxious fumes further. “Both of you, out! We’re so close, we can’t die now!”

Jiin’s bright blue eyes went wide, as her back and tail stood upwards. “Wait!” And without another word, Jiin began to glow with a soothing turquoise light, pure water starting to flow out around her paws, before she leapt upwards, over her mentor, and towards the deathly cloud. Yang didn’t even have time to stop her or react, as her light reached its pinnacle before she’d even touched the ground again, a washing flow of moisture and rain gusted down the castle corridors. The red gas was halted by Jiin’s healing magic; washed away and neutralised. Kiyoshi felt his heart lift, watching Jiin so promptly deal with what could have been the doom of any remaining life on the Titan’s Keepsake.

Yang stood still, staring in awe at his student’s bold action. He was furious at her impulsive charge, but thankful to be alive. He watched Jiin walk triumphantly past him in silence, his consistently solid composure had been shattered for a brief moment, but something was stopping it from properly repairing... Kiyoshi stepped outside of the castle doors, turning to face Jiin as tears still welled up in his eyes, giving a thankful smile to the white longhair. “Jiin... You saved us..!” He stuttered, watching her take another step towards the door, but then she stopped.

Yang continued to watch from behind, now feeling his own heart sinking, as the other cat had stopped moving. She lifted her head, her bright blue eyes taking in the twilight sun of the outside, gazing fondly, but weakly at Kiyoshi, before her small body fell limply to the ground. Kiyoshi slowly crumbled to his knees, reaching a shaking hand towards his fellow student, placing it gently down on her clean white fur. “Jiin...” He muttered, over and over. “Jiin, what could... What ha--...” Kiyoshi could barely speak, as the tears welled up stronger than ever, his smile faded, his posture curled over the lifeless body of his fellow, as their mentor watched in broken silence. Yang’s stoic demeanour, for these short moments, was gone, instead reflecting a smothering, empty despair.

_Two walked out._

Minutes passed, Kiyoshi’s wailing cries shouted out into the stretching sky around them, Yang had also hunched over Jiin, his head prodding and nudging against hers. “I... Never truly understood her magic. But now I think I do.” Yang finally spoke out, Kiyoshi taking a sharp inhale, and gulping down his vocalised agony to allow Yang. “We knew she could heal and purify, but we never understood where her power was rooted, or why she could only completey cure particular ailments... She helped to subside the plague’s symptoms for the whole village, but she always experienced momentary sickness... I simply dismissed it as over-exertion and fatigue; rest always helped her feel better, but she became less and less energetic with every spell.”

Yang took a moment, pressing his head more firmly against Jiin’s. “But that wasn’t it at all. It was a limited resource... Just waiting to be emptied and tainted with whatever sickness she washed away. Her power, essentially, was her immunity to the disease, slowly chipping away at her until...” He inhaled slowly. “How cruel must life be, to give her a power that would inevitably be her end? Leaving us here, immune to it all, with not an explanation as to what makes us different...”

Kiyoshi sat at the Keepsake’s peak in momentary silence with his mentor, watching the perpetual twilight around them, before the young boy talked again. “Kubo and Kobu got sick... For a bit, but they’re the only ones who actually fought it off. Damian was... Well, he was like us. He just never got sick at all. I don’t understand.” Kiyoshi tried to distract from sadness with his thoughts, as only the quiet wind accompanied the sounds of their voices, whistling through the rock’s winding tunnels. Eventually, reality dawned back on Kiyoshi, as he began to slowly stand up, wiping the tears out of his eyes and biting firmly on his bottom lip, as he carefully leant down to pick up Jiin’s body, embracing her lifeless form gently.

Yang’s red eyes blinked, startled to see Kiyoshi getting up and continuing on his own, in spite of everything, but he understood why; Kiyoshi had a family, a village, and a whole lifestyle to say goodbye to.

 

Kiyoshi knelt down and planted a small bulb in the soil, where they had buried Jiin at the Keepsake’s base. Alongside the one bulb, the boy and his teacher planted three others for each of today’s lost, but there were about to be more. The bedridden sick had no cure; that was the harsh reality of the situation, and if Kiyoshi and Yang were to do anything about it, it wasn’t here on this remote hill amidst the clouds. After spending a moment to respect their friends’ passing, Kiyoshi began to climb the steps of the Keepsake once again, entering a small door near the mountainous rock’s base.

The interior was warm, decorated with expertly woven rugs, tapestries and cushions to make a comfortable living space out of such a dark foundation. “Kiyoshi...” A woman’s voice weakly called out from within the small living space. A bed had been positioned carefully near one of the cavern’s intricately carved windows, allowing the occupants to gaze out over the sea of cloud. The young man moved to sit at the bedside, taking a frail hand into his gently, and giving a deep breath.

“It’s me, Mom, Dad.” Kiyoshi reassured the two figures resting beneath layers of thick quilts and blankets. He’d taken his mother’s hand, and much like the rest of their kind, despite how young they initially appeared, they had become frail and decrepit from the plague alone. Their eyes clouded over, skin grey and dry like a dying tree. His mother’s hair was much like his own; remarkably long and silver all the way down, though now losing its healthy sheen. Kiyoshi’s father was laying just beside her, but his deep black, shoulder length hair was showing patches of grey.

“You’re alive... We heard so many horrific things from down here... Screams, crashing... We had assumed the worst, if this hopeless rock’s fate ends in your survival... We’ll be happy.” His mother spoke hoarsely, barely able to keep her blinded eyes open. “But you’ve been crying, those screams we heard...” Her hand struggled to reach upwards, before brushing over Kiyoshi’s cheek and through his hair. “The twins are gone... Aren’t they? One of those screams... I knew it was Kobu.” The figure on the opposite side of the bed stirred, the fading man speaking up.

“Who... Who made it out with you?” But before Kiyoshi could speak, the boy silently shedding tears as he stared at his mother’s fragile hand, the familiar voice of Yang called up from the doorway.

“Just me... Hello Kyouko, Mitsuga.” He assertively greeted the family, the black cat silently pacing into the room. “Forgive my intrusion, in all my aloofness, even I couldn’t keep myself from coming to visit you. Your son has been through much today.” Kiyoshi didn’t seem upset by his mentor following him inside, infact it brought a solemn smile onto his lips. Both of Kiyoshi’s parents gave strained grin at the cat’s comment on his own stoic demeanour.

“You’re always welcome here, Yang... We all consider you family, and we’re happy to see you one more time.” Mitsuga responded. “But even still... Damian and... Even Jiin too...? Good heavens... I’m so sorry. She’s done so much to ease our suffering... Truly, Keepsake’s story is ending... But Kiyoshi? You can pass it on...”

Kiyoshi sniffed, gulping down a murmur of emotional struggle as he wiped his eyes once again. “Y-Yes, Dad. I’ll find a way to tell the entire Overworld about you. About how beautiful it is here!” The family had seemingly been preparing for the worst for a long time. The whole village had. Even Kiyoshi, despite his tears, had accepted that his parents weren’t long for this world; he knew this was goodbye.

Mitsuga winced in pain as he cleared his throat, taking a deep breath before he mustered enough strength to move his arm, pointing to a tapestry on the wall. “Now Kiyoshi, your mother and I prepared our finest work of art, a long time ago, for you to wear as an adult, but... Considering the circumstances, we want you to take it to the Overworld with you.  _Mnh_... It may be a little big for you now but... Give it a few years and it’ll fit you perfectly.”  
  
Kiyoshi’s tear-soaked green eyes shifted over to the tapestry, the teenager scrambling to his feet and approaching it, moving the tapestry to the side to find a small compartment in the wall, harbouring a small chest. He gently lifted the box out and brought it delicately onto the bedside table, quietly creaking it open. Immediately the light from the window shimmered over the fabric of a delicately woven jerkin of dark blue, though the fabric almost looked like scales. The way it played with reflecting light made the colours shift between blues, purples and teals. The boy’s eyes shone with awe.

“What is it made of...? It’s amazing.” He ran a finger over it, it felt almost like silk.

“That finish comes from the rocks of Keepsake itself.” Kyouko added. “But the core material is... What we believe to be the shed skin of a truly ancient and powerful Lamia. Weaving with such a skin required work and tools from the whole village, but we were determined to create an unbreakable, unique piece that truly roots back to home, for you...” Kiyoshi closed the box, taking a few deep inhales and exhales, before he began sobbing vocally once again, leaning over to hug his mother tightly.

“I don’t want to go... I’ve always wanted to, I know... But right now I can’t...” He cried out, Kyouko’s hand gently stroked through the boy’s long hair, as she closed her eyes.

“Nonsense, Kiyoshi... Look out the window; We can see the Overworld gates from here... Nothing would make us happier than to see you leave while we still breathe... If anything, ‘ _right now’_  is the best time.” Kiyoshi’s eyes, red from tears, stared down at the clear view of a monolith in the distance; A stone positioned on the golden grass further down the hill of Titan’s Keepsake. What the village people referred to as the ‘ _Gate_ ’; a door to the other world running parallel to their own. “You’ll love it there... So much. We wish we could see it with you, the people... They may initially fear you, but please, do not hate them, show them only love, and they will love you in turn, as we did when they visited us so many years ago...” Mitsuga nodded along with Kyouko’s words.

“Now... Are you going to give your father a hug before you go too?” Mitsuga shakily chuckled, Kiyoshi sniffing and laughing in turn as he moved around the bed to do just the same for his father. Yang silently lowered his head in respect. “Titan’s Keepsake now stands as a memorial for the people who once gave it life. There are others, too, Kiyoshi. Others who left for the Overworld before this plague took us. They’ll find you, I’m certain.” The father continued, holding his son’s hand, Kiyoshi nodding along, before the boy took a resolute breath, turning his gaze to Yang.

Yang gave a slow blink of his red eyes before he spoke; “Then we’re leaving for the Overworld.”


End file.
